All posts filed under: gourmet cooking

Food: How to Substitude Ingredients and This Recipe

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I have to admit, I switch up ingredients all the time while preparing a meal. For example – I am allergic to soy, so I use Worcestershire sauce instead. I hate the taste of fish, so I never add fish sauce to any Asian dish. So I was glad to find a list of alternatives here, for ingredients. What have you substituted, and share your experience or other recommendations Here’s a recipe for dinner tonight for the family – spicy eggplant pasta    {featured image source}

Food: How To Use Crushed Tomatoes

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Over the weekend, we had breakfast at one of my favorite cafe on Fillmore street in San Francisco. The place is so great, there is always a line and sometimes even a long wait to be served – meaning you stand in line, order your food, pay and then grab a seat and wait, and wait but it’s okay – because the hustle of the bustle of the small restaurant makes it all worth while. I veered from my usual and ordered baked eggs, because I saw someone having the dish and asked her what it was and then ordered it. Which I decided to duplicate at home – since just by looking at the ingredients I was sure it would taste equally amazing at home. Ingredients – two eggs, black beans, crushed tomatoes from a can, and cheddar cheese. four tablespoons of black beans, two tablespoons of crushed tomatoes, mixed together,  break two eggs over them and bake in oven /which I nuked in the microwave for 3 minutes – and stirred for the …

Holiday Series: Gathering Up The Week Long Celebration Menu

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I’m hosting many guests over the holiday week, and finding just the right recipe is probably the funnest task I embark on, because you see, I love a good dinner party, and a conversations, and even followed by a board game. So, here are some of the dishes I intend to make this week: What are your favorite recipes? Here’s a fun article about how to feed your hungriest house guests 

Holiday Series: Thanksgiving Preliminary Prep

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I start out with one menu – and then shift it throughout the week leading to Thanksgiving, so with that mindset, here’s what I am considering for the holiday, perhaps even leading to smaller dinner parties up to New Year’s eve. {featured source and inspiration for this blog post}

Food: Thai Chicken and Noodles

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I love Asian fusion or simply Asian inspired food and this recipe for Thai Chicken and Noodles is something worth sharing in today’s ONLY Food series: INGREDIENTS 8 ounces wide rice noodles 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos 3 tablespoons oyster sauce 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce 2 teaspoons honey or maple 2 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into strips (optional) 2 shallots, thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated 1-2 red Fresno peppers or jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped 4 green onions, chopped 1 medium zucchini, cut into ribbons or chopped 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 2 carrots, cut into ribbons or chopped 1 cup fresh Thai basil or regular basil, roughly chopped {more} What’s your favorite Asian Dish?

Food: Dinner Tonight – Salad with Chickpea, Corn, Tomato, Avocado

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Ingredients that go way back in my culture, are now coming to light – in all sorts of ways. But the only difference in this case, is that we used to eat roasted lightly salted chickpeas as a snack (instead of candy) and never have considered it in salad. 🙂 So, since I am on the verge of converting to plant-based ‘not-diet’ – I figured I’d give this salad a try – with the feta cheese. Because…I have trouble letting-go of cheese. INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, and or parsley, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives 1 can (14 ounce) chickpeas, drained 4 ears grilled or steamed corn, kernels removed 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 2 Persian cucumbers, diced 1 cup cubed feta cheese 1 avocado, diced SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 shallot, finely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + the zest of 1 lemon 2 teaspoons honey 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 pinch crushed red peppers flakes kosher salt and black pepper {more} On another note, what films have you seen lately and recommend? yes, I did go..and..see…Hobbs and Shaw

Food: Panna Cotta and a Story

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When I was a child living in the middle east, my cousin, who was much older, 20plus years older, left our homeland to live in Paris so he could be a student of Le Cordon Bleu. Now, just in case you are not familiar with the culinary school, it is one of the best, was the best pack a century ago. I cried the day he left, not sure why, but I was only six and I hated seeing anyone in our extended family leave. Years later, we crossed paths in the states, and he invited our family for dinner. On the menu was  Panna Cotta adorned with fresh cherries he’d soaked in Grand Marnier, or a variation almost Panna Cotta, he’d learned to prepare at the very culinary school. Being a grown up and appreciating much of the finer things in cuisine, I ate one and then asked for a second serving and then stood in the kitchen afterwards discussing the ingredients he used to create the best dessert I have ever had. So …

Food: For the 4th of July Picnic Or Just Because

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San Francisco doesn’t have the best weather for July 4th – Independence Day, where the highlight of the holiday is the fireworks celebrating our independence. So you can imagine most city folk travel hours to get away from the foggy cost and set up camp or a picnic somewhere to watch the fireworks.  Food is a big part of July 4th – come to think of it – food is a big part of anything we do in the states 🙂 But that doesn’t mean you cannot organize a picnic between now and then – and most anywhere in the world. Grab your loved ones or dear friends, a blanket, your pets and head out to a sprawling greenery or lakeside view location and just enjoy a day of eating and solid interaction. For recipes go here {For more recipes go here} {featured image source} where are you spending July 4th? And what is your favorite dish?   

Food: Dinner Tonight – Pineapple, BBQ Chicken, Quinoa

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I’ve switched gears, just like that, regarding eating less comfort food and more healthy meals. Yes, the weather has been unusually freezing in San Francisco, with the weirdest of storms passing over the city. But my body is in Spring-Summer mode I think and it is craving more veggies, and less starch – so the meal planning begins to satisfy my cravings. Yes folks, the family usually works around my clock – in terms of food. 😉 So, here we go – tonight’s dinner INGREDIENTS 2 pounds  boneless skinless chicken breasts 2  cups BBQ sauce, homemade or store-bought (if using store-bought, I like Primal Kitchens BBQ Sauce) 2 tablespoon pineapple juice juice from 2 limes 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks 2 jalapeños, chopped, and seeded if desired 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped kosher salt and pepper 3 cups cooked quinoa or rice  – OR in my case, I prefer cauliflower rice over quinoa 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 cup fresh basil, and or cilantro leaves, roughly chopped 5 cups shredded romaine lettuce 1 avocado, sliced 4 fresh chives, chopped fried garlic for serving (optional)  {more} On another note – what TV shows are you binge-watching right …

Food: Dinner Tonight – Fried Eggs and Beans

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Since I landed on Sunday evening a bit tired and ready to just be with my dog, I didn’t get a chance to grocery shop for this week. So, I did a quick peek into the refrigerator and decided there will be fried eggs over beans, and freshly or homemade Pico de gallo sauce, feta cheese, and sliced Avocado on a bed of spinach. Something similar to this  – just in case you crave a step-by-step recipe to follow: Ingredients 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 onion, chopped 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped 1/2 head kale, ribs removed and leaves torn or chopped 1/2 cup pico de gallo kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper 4 large eggs 1/3 cup crumbled cotija or feta toppings: sliced avocado, cilantro, hemp or pumpkin seeds, tortilla chips {more} {featured image source and recipe| On another note – Possible spoiler alert for some – what was your take on last week’s GOT (episode 3) – an entire hour being on edge only for …